Subscribe
Warmer winters and erratic rainfall are disrupting farming cycles across Uttarakhand’s hill districts
Farmers report sharp declines in wheat and vegetable yields, with some harvests nearly wiped out
Scientists say temperatures in higher altitudes were up to 4–5°C above normal this winter
Rising heat is also linked to forest fires, water shortages and increased physical strain on rural households
Experts warn that both climate change and local factors are reshaping life in the Himalayas
In the Himalayan village of Naurakh in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, the winter harvest has all but failed.
“Usually our fields produce around 50 kilos of wheat every year, but this year it will be difficult to get even 5-10 kilos,” says 22-year-old farmer Reena Devi. “Even that wheat will have to be kept as seed, so this year we will have to buy flour to make rotis.”
Reena farms five small terraced plots in Dasholi block, each roughly the size of a badminton court. Two are used for wheat, two for vegetables close to her home, and one for paddy. But this winter, the steady rhythm of farming in the hills has been thrown off course.
“We kept waiting for rain in November and December. Finally, tired of waiting, we sowed wheat in December,” she says.
“January was unusually warm and the rain came only in the last week. By then most of the crop had dried up, and wheat plants came up only in a few patches.”
For vegetables, the family managed limited irrigation using drinking water. But for wheat, she says, there is no alternative. “Rain is the only source of irrigation.”
Occasional showers in February brought some relief, but most days remained bright and dry. “I had planted onions, but their yield has also been low,” Reena says. “I sowed cabbage again after that.”
March, too, has remained unusually warm so far. She now hopes that a change in weather in the coming weeks may at least ensure enough vegetables for the household.
Reena’s husband, Dilwar Lal, works as a daily wage labourer and typically finds work for only 10 to 15 days in a month. During winter, Reena supplements the household income by collecting firewood and fodder from nearby forests for their home and two cows.
“I collect firewood from the forest during winter,” she says. “Sometimes there is a little extra dry wood, which I sell in the village for some money.”
“There is also a plant nursery nearby. Whenever work is available there, I earn a little. Most of the vegetables and grains for our household come from our fields,” she adds.
This winter’s unusually high temperatures have brought growing economic anxiety for small farmers in the hills like Reena.
Their concerns have also reached Uttarakhand’s Budget Session in Gairsain, the state’s summer capital.
On March 13, 2026, MLA Pritam Singh Panwar asked the state’s agriculture minister, Ganesh Joshi, whether the government would compensate farmers whose crops had been damaged due to the lack of rainfall between October and March.
He said crops such as wheat, barley and peas had been severely affected, leaving farmers facing a livelihood crisis.
Responding to the question, the minister said rainfall had been extremely low in November, with no rain at all in December. In January, however, the state received about 3 per cent more rainfall than normal, and showers in the last week of the month helped reduce potential losses. He added that farmers whose crop losses exceed 33 per cent would be eligible for compensation.
In the same session, another issue was raised concerning potato farmers in Bhimtal, in Nainital district. Farmers who had insured their crop for Rs 5,500 reportedly received only Rs 1,144 as compensation, while many received nothing at all.
The minister told the House that a committee would be formed to examine the issue.
Reena says crop insurance is not an option for her.
“My fields are too small,” she says, adding that most farmers in her village have also not insured their crops.
Rising temperatures in the hills are affecting not just crops and incomes, but also people’s health and daily routines.
Reena, who has a five-year-old daughter and a one-and-a-half-year-old son, says the heat makes physical labour more difficult.
“When it gets very hot, you don’t feel like working,” she says. “But we have to work in the fields, and I also go to the forest every day to collect fodder and firewood.”
To cope, the family adjusts its routine.
“We try to finish either the field work or the forest work early in the morning and return before noon,” she says. “Then we go back to the fields after 4 pm.”
“But when it’s really necessary, we have to work even in the sun. In the harsh heat, the body just cannot work as much.”
She adds that on days when the weather is milder, they try to complete as much work as possible in the fields.
Meteorologists say this year’s winter in Uttarakhand was noticeably warmer than usual — particularly in the hills.
Dr Chander Singh Tomar, director of the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD)regional centre in Dehradun, says the trend had been anticipated.
“We had already forecast that temperatures would remain above normal from October to February,” he says. “However, compared to the plains, temperatures in the hill districts were appreciably higher.”
“In January and February, average temperatures in higher-altitude districts were about 4-5 degrees Celsius (°C) above normal, while in the plains they were around 2-3°C higher.”
Data from the IMD reflects this pattern. In January, Dehradun recorded an average maximum temperature of 22.3°C, or about 3°C above normal, while the average minimum temperature was 0.6°C higher than usual. In Mukteshwar, in Nainital district, the average maximum temperature was nearly 3°C above normal, and the minimum was about 0.7°C higher.
The trend intensified in February. Dehradun’s average maximum temperature was about 4°C above normal, with minimum temperatures nearly 2°C higher. Mukteshwar recorded a maximum about 3°C above normal and a minimum 2.6°C higher than average.
In meteorological terms, a departure of 1-3°C is considered above or below normal. A difference of 3-5°C is classified as an appreciable deviation, while a departure of 5°C or more is seen as significantly above or below normal.
The warming has been particularly pronounced in March. According to live IMD data, Dehradun recorded maximum temperatures between 4°C and 8°C above normal on every day between 1 and 14 March. Minimum temperatures during the same period were 3°C to 9°C above average.
In Mukteshwar, temperatures reached 28.2°C on March 8, 2026, around 12°C above normal, making it the third warmest day on record for the area.
Between March 1 and 14, maximum temperatures in Mukteshwar remained 5°C to 12°C above normal, while minimum temperatures were consistently 3°C to 5°C higher.
Tomar notes that while the warmth is unusual, it does not necessarily break historical records.
“Temperatures this winter have been appreciably above normal,” he says. “But this does not mean records have been broken. Even in Mukteshwar, higher temperatures have been recorded twice before. On a climate scale, such fluctuations have been observed earlier as well.”
Tracking these changes remains a challenge in mountainous regions.
In many parts of Uttarakhand, there is no manual system to monitor seasonal weather changes, and long-term temperature records are limited. In recent years, however, automatic weather stations have begun to fill some of these gaps.
Available data on IMD website suggests that warming trends are not confined to isolated locations.
In Chamoli, for instance, maximum temperatures remained above 30°C between 8 and 14 March, while minimum temperatures hovered around 15°C. Compared with Dehradun, a plains district, the difference was relatively small, with temperatures often only one or two degrees higher.
Rising temperatures are also affecting forests across the region.
According to the Uttarakhand Forest Department, between November 1, 2025 and February 14, 2026, there were 54 forest fire incidents, affecting around 42 hectares of forest — roughly the size of 60 football fields.
As temperatures rose further, another 60 incidents were recorded between February 15 and March 14, affecting a similar area.
The impact is visible at the village level. In Naurakh, where Reena Devi lives, forests were shrouded in smoke during winter. Holding her child, she recalls that nearby forests burned for several days in January — and even now, fires continue in areas not far from the village.
“The smoke causes irritation in the eyes,” she says.
Warmer winters and reduced rainfall are also affecting water availability in Himalayan villages.
During summer, alongside farm work and collecting fodder and fuelwood, Reena must walk to a nearby stream to fetch drinking water.
As temperatures rise, water flow through household taps declines.
“In summer, the water in our taps gradually reduces,” she says. “So I have to go to the stream in the morning and evening to ensure we have enough water.”
Experts say rising temperatures cannot be attributed to climate change alone.
ID Bhatt, director of the GB Pant Himalayan Environment Institute in Almora, points to local factors as well.
“Deforestation for development projects, increasing numbers of vehicles and the emissions they produce are contributing to rising temperatures,” he says. “Earlier, people in Almora did not even need ceiling fans. Now, they are using air conditioners.”
He also stresses the need for deeper scientific understanding. “We need more studies and research to understand seasonal changes in mountainous regions,” he says. “Historical weather data is limited.”